Envelope machine



April 28, 1942. A. NOVIC'K ENVELOPE MACHINE Filed April 17, 1940 6 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR Abra/7am Nov/ck.

April 28, 1942. A. NOVICK 8 ENVELOPE MACHINE Filed April 17, 1940' 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTQR. Abra/2am Nov/ck,

ATTORNEYS.

April 28, 1942. A. NOVICK ENVELOPE MACHINE 6 Sheets-Sheet 3' Filed April 17, 1940 INVENTQR. Abra/7am Nowck.

7H ZZZ;

ATTORNEYS April 28, 1942. ANOVICK ENVELOPE MACHINE Filed April 17, 1940 6 Sheets-Sheet 4- INVEN 70R; Abra/7am Nov/ck. M M

w wt

ATTORNEYS.

A. NOVICK HINE A ril 28, 1942.

ENVELOPE MAC Filed Apf il 17, 1940 a Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR. Abraham Nov/ck ATTORNEYS @April28, '1942. A. NOVICK v ENVELOPE MACHINE Filed April l'Y, 1940 meanin gs, 42 Y azartse a 1 ENVELOPE MACHINE, ,QAbrahamNovick; ilushingQ-Nfii, ia ignai toF. 'Q

, L. SmkleMacliine C0,, 1110., New eorpora'tionof New York Application Amer-1,1940, Serial mistress l i '(c1.9a--s2.)-

v 25Claims. This inventionrelates toirnachines for fabricating envelopes and the like, such as envelope folding apparatus, and "particularly to feeding and forwarding mechanism suitable for use in suchapparatus and this application is a continuation in part of application Ser. No. 67,243, flled'March 5, 1936, iorEnvelope machines.-

' In this type of machine the blanks are discharged from-certain types of unit, such. as gum iners and .driers, fanned out overlapping "relation with the 1 trailing e'ndfof each' blank overlying the advance 1 end of ;the preceding re, N. Y

, plished by transferring the envelopes sidewise e from thefirst "conveyor to the, second. conveyor.

blank. For succeedingoperations, however, it is necessary to separate the blanks and feed them individually to folding or other units. In carrying out this operation, involving the change from an overlapping stream of blanks to an individ- ,ualizedseries'thereof, it is important; thatnthe blanks be accurately aligned: for the succeeding M operation, and that the change be carried out with aminimu-m of delay and in minimum space.

A principal-purpose of this invention is toprovide a construction for carrying out this operation; Ingeneral, this is accomplished by bringing the leading edges of the overlapped blanks into contact with stop means which will assure alignment, and then transferring. the aligned" blanks individually to a conveying means which will feed them appropriately toft he succeeding unit. t e

" A feature of the invention is the employment. of

transferring means "for the purpose indicated which will engagethe upper surface of the uppermost blank resting against the stop, lifting the r N blank and shifting itinto position for engagement by the succeeding conveyor. With this construction the travel of underlying blanks into engagement withthe stop-isnot interfered with,

and the transferis efiective even if a number of blanks should accumulate against the stop.

The invention is advantageously applicable to an arrangement in which the blanks aretransierred from their position againstthestop in a direction transverse to their direction of travel to the stop. In this arrangement the second conveyor means extends to the side of the first conveyor means adjacent the stop, in position to receive a side margin of ,the uppermost blank when ShiftedQappropriateIy by the lifting'means.

This arrangement is particularly appropriate inenvelope machines or known types in which ,the'envelopeiblank, after passing through one unit with a certain margin in advance, must be fed to the succeeding unitjwith adjacent or laterallinargin in advance. This is best accornr For instance, after the envelope blanks have been folded with the exception of. the seal flaps, which have been gummed and dried, the blanks mustgo into. a right-angle run for thepurpose of closing the gummed flaps seriatim. ,In this and similar arrangements it is important that the blanks be carefully aligned when fed to th second I 'veyor for such folding. a

Heretofore, it has been possible to fold the seal flap after the drying operation. only by first separating the envelopesirom overlapping relationship to individuali ze each envelope with its seal flap. open, and then make the right-angle turn of each envelope. In, some machines, the

overlapped blanks are individualized by means of segmental devices and-then the right-hand turn is made at ,high speed to permit the individua-liz ed blank so turned to becleared from the path of succeeding blanks as they approach the individualizing segment.

. In'no instance has itbeen made possible to take the envelopeblanks directly from the aforementioned overlapping band formation into a right-angle runfor folding, so that the above machinesoperated underthe disadvantage that it was necessary to go through the step of individualizingthe envelopes, the separating mechanisrn being arranged to operate'on the envelopes while they are in the overlapping relationship,

so that it speeds up the leading blank. of the band to pull it out of the overlapping relationship.

Owing to the fact that the envelopes are generally longer thanthey are wide, and are .fed from the drier in the direction of their major axis, the sidewise speed of transfer can be slower than a corresponding speed has to be when the envelopesare separated. lengthwise for in dividualization prior to therightangleturn.

An incidental advantage of the sidewise transfer according tov the present invention is that the. envelope being transferred is lifted more slowly so that the envelope that comes underneath into place against the stops is not dragged sidewise also. Another obfiect of the invention is to provide a sucker or analogous form oftransfer device by means of which the envelope being transferred is picked up by the corner nearest the stop, this corner being nearest the direction in which the envelope is to be transferred. By this placement of the sucker the envelope is advanced in its aligned condition and the accuracy of alignment are individually. easy of access and the line 5+5 ofFig. 4;-

line transferconstructlon; and

is maintained while the tra nsfer is taking place. By the above arrangement the feeding of doubles is avoided, this being of frequent occurrence when other transfer devices areernployed, such assegmental rollers.

"nder such conditions, an object of the present invention is to make the preliminary in: dividualizing step unnecessary by operating on the leading envelope of the band as each arrives at suitable stops, the mechanism taking each in turn as it arrives and moving it sidewise so that it becomes separated from the others and .con-

giving a more dependable alignment by reason of theslowspeed at which this aligning step is per.- formed. l 1

A further object is to .provide for'removing from the aligned. position at a higher speed the envelope which has thus been accurately aligned at" the relatively lower speed of the overlapping band-relationship. 7 r

-A further objectof the invention is to effect such "a disposition of the mechanisms that they easy toinspect while in operation.

Other features and advantages tion'w ill appear as theidescriptionof the particularphysical embodimentselected to illustrate e invention progresses.

Drawings are appended. in-the several views :of

- up to the stop, thus eliminating any tendencyto bounce or rebound from the stop, and therefore of the inven-,

which likecharacters of reference havexbeen' apdrawings,.wherein: Fig. lis an elevational view of somewhatschem'atic character illustrating the elements used in carrying out the early stages of the operation for which provision is made by the present inplied to co'rresl ionding parts. throughout the vention; I

Fig. 2 is asimilariview of other elements used in carrying outstages oftheoperation subsequent to those of Fig.1, and illustrates a run of mechanism which in practice is disposed at an angleto that of the run shown in Fig. 1.;

1;:Fig'. '3-is' a view. onan enlarged scale, showing. in detail -the. right-handuportions of the mecha- 7 nismillustrated in Fig. 1;

Fig. 415 a detail view in vertical section on'the' line 4-4 of Fig. 3;

5 -is a detail view in horizontal; section on Fig. 6 is a schematic; side mention of a straight Fig; 7 is a; schematic planview of-part construction shown inFig. .6.

of the m a preferred form of the inventionselected for illustration and description. and. shown in Figs. 1-5. the part designated generally-by the reference character F is the-frame -of anenvelope making machine adapte'dtdreceive from B/Sllit-r ablesource of supply, as for example from the drier conveyor mechanism M, at the left of Fig. 7 1, a continuous supply E of envelope blanks arranged to travel in overlapping, fanned out relationto eachflother; the darker lines ill in Fig.

l ind icatingiin diagrammatic fashion the end flaps of the blanks which have preferably been gummed at an earlier stage and are" shown as. trailing as the linev advances from left to right,

. as they. travel alongthis stretch 2| of the belt 2,281,089 r the summed .face of each flap being turned upthe env'elopeblank arriving (with the aforesaid seam and end flap pro-sealed) for further treatment by the mechanism herein disclosedi Such treatment may comprise the folding-over. I

of the H, as herein illustrated and the eventual delivery of the completed envelopes, at the end creme run designated R" in-Fig. 2, to a mechanism for restacking'them, the reference -.character 'M" in: Fig. 2 designatinga portion of the 'last-named mechanism, for a further dis- --closure of which recourse may be had to my Patent No.'2,110',1l2 issuecYDecember'13, 1938. V

Reverting to the run of mechanism shown schematically at R, Rf in Fig. l,- the blanks E are fed thereto from the conveyor C of Tmechanism M, bridging the gap to a conveyor'belt L4 which runs on an idler [5,.a driving. pulley l5 and 'idlers IT, was the order named, the stretch IQ of belt [4, between idler l5 and driving pulley 16, being inclined so that when delivered by" the belt- M, the blanks are. at a suitable height to bridge gap G and pass on to the conveyor-belt 21 r of run R2: the latter running uponrolls 22, 23 journaled upon the frame F at about the elevation indicated in Fig. 1. I I

During advancement along'the run R the overlapping blanks move under a hold-down bar 24,

and are influencedby rollers 25, 26, 21, 28, 29'

and v3!), which bias the blanks against the adto feed the blanks, said conveyor running at a speed in excessof thelinear speed of the belt l9, so that the blanks are fanned out more and more conveyor ofrun R. and under an idler roll 32 which'presses the blanks against the belt 2|.

This roll holds the trailing end llli of the contiguous blank I0 while its leading end- ZU 'is drawn-forward by the belt 2| untilthe' leading send engages the stops' 3 3 and 33, each blank 7 j beingthus pulled by conveyor 21 into its appropriate intended position belowxone or more preceding blanks, the uppermost-blank E" offthe pile P, Fig, i, being free for transfer to the run Rf.

. as will be duly described.

This pile is intended to be temporary inechar acter, servingas a clearance pile andkdesirably comprises not more than -a few-blanks at any given time, so that the weight of superimposed.

.. blanks may only be suffic'ientto serveas abias'ing means (in the absence of any-pressing down- -roller),"to maintain a good frictional contact between the mutually contiguous faces of the'belt 2i and the ends 20 6f envelopes that advanced to the stops .33 and 331:.

are being I'hisinsures accurate registration of the forward ends of thesuperimposed blanks witheach other (12', Eli, Fig. 1')" and accuratepositioning of. each blank for. subsequent transfer operations -with respect'to sealfiapifolding mechanism hereinaffter described; an d"it,is" tobe noted that .at

this. critical. stage the blanks are exposed seriatim to the inspection. of the operator, so

that a defective blank can readily be spotted and removed without stoppage of themachine or interference in any way with its rapid operation.

In pursuance of an important object 0f-the of transfer operations, by

I the other of the frame. F (Fig.

The uppermost enve'lo aseroso invention, the transfer from run 8" to run R" of each topmost blank E of the'clearancestcck or pile is accomplished by the provision of I.

transfer, member '1 to which is imparted an inter,-

mittent feeding action causing it to perform a recurrenticycle of movements. ,These include first a. depressionof the transfer member T,

which in this instance takes the+formof a sucker arm connected'by tube 38 (Fig. 5) with a suit able source-of suction (not shown), into sucking designated R." in Fig. 2 constitutes the principal subject matter, enough of the runs R and B! being shown to aid in understanding the relationship of theparts.

Beginning then at the left hand side of Fig. 3,

the-driving pulley II for conveyor belt i4 ofrun R ismounted on a shaft "journaledin brackets 3, 44Uand44x extending from a side member 45 contact with the top blankE' of pile P,'thesuckerengaging the upper right-hand 'comer' of i the partly formed .envelopeE (Fig.5); then ensues:

an upward shiftofthe"suckerarm' T which picks up the top blank *E' (and/subsequentlypushes tracted for performanceof another similar cycle.

scribed. 1

In passing, however, it should be notedffirst, that the belts 3i, 3'! operate at a level above that of the clearance pile P and at an angle to the I it in a horizontal directionintothe biteof cone.

veyor belts 36, 31, the sucker a'rm being thenfremechanism to be dedirection of feed of the blanks to pile P, at rightangles in the instance illustrated. The angle between therunR" and the runs R, R may, of course, be designed for suitable disposition of their supporting 'and actuating means, and will be governed by considerations of economy in space and power as well as conveniencein opera? tion and inspection. 1

It is also to be noted that the arm T propels the blank E'--in such a direction, parallel to the stops 33, 332:, that the blank is caused .by inertia,-and by frictional contact of its trailing portion I l with the underlying table ill), to swing about the point of engagement by the suclter, and

of the. frame F, suitable cross-members 46, '41

and-a base, not shown, connecting this side member with a similar side member 43 'across'the width of the frame. r

.,,A gear on shaft 43 meshes with a carrier gear5l upon a stud shaft 52, fixed in an arm 53 ofthey-bracketfl- (Figs, 4 and 5) and gear 5i meshes with pinion 54 secured to a shaft 55 and having secured thereto a'geanhj meshing with 7. an intermediate changeable gear T51 on stud 5!- which is driven by a gear Bil,- this stud being mounted ineither oftwo orifices 53 and, 59a,

'by whichchanges of speed of .the belt i4 may be eifected to change the spacing between the envelopes. For example, if the stud-58 is insertedin the aperture 59a and a gear 51 of larger diameter is substituted, arranged to mesh with the gear 60 and the pinion 54 (which is smaller in diameter than gear 56), the spacing thus the-..blank maintains its contact with the.

a In theinstant illustrativeembodiment the con, veyor belts 36 and 31 run'fov e1; rolls 38 and 33,

thence between a pair of pressure guide rolls 40 designed tor'egulate the, bite of the belts upon the blanks E; then each blank is carried along separately, with its end flap ii free of thebelts,

t the stop for transfer yors are in alignment. ifted by thesucker means is picked u segment operating,

3: against a. presser rollgshifted beneath the en velope blank, feeding thewblank into the. bite ofthe succeeding conveyor. This, construction like. wise serves to align the envelopes againstthe stop, and permits the travel of succeeding en- 'velopeblanks into engagement: with the stop beneath the uppermost blank while the latter is lifted and shifted tothe second conveyor,

The foregoing description sets forth 'some-' what summarily the elements of amachine embodying the invention in their cooperative combination.

The structural details of the particular physconstruction, are uti- 1 stops and is guided'therebyin correct alignment with the direction of the run R". 40

oiples of operation, with ical embodiment selected for. illustration will now i be described with especial reference to- Figs.l3,

4 and 5, in which the mechanism of the runbetween, the envelopes is decreased. The gear 51 is shown as meshing with the pinion 60 on a spline shaft 31 upon'whichlis fitted for axial adjustment a bevel gear 62, the latter being supported in abracket 6430f a carriage 64.

Associated with bevel gear 62 is a' complemental bevel gear 63 fixed toishaft 61, the latter being supported at its opposite ends in side plates Y of the carriage 64 and serving to actuate the pulleys 38 and the conveyor belts, 36 which run thereto over idlers 68, 69, 10, afterpassing over the bed pulleys 4|. .The pulleys 13 all run on a'shaft II fitted within the frame in appropriate position, and the belts so can be kept taut byadjustment of a pair of arms 13 held by bolts 13; on cross bars 14 secured at their ends to the plates 64Y of the carriage 64. V

The complemental conveyor belts 31 run to ro1ls'33 from along idler rolli5 (Figs. 3 and 4) and idler rolls 1E and 181:, the'long roll having' a shaft ii journaled in brackets "of carriage" bland the idlers 16, 13a: being adjustable laterally of the machine, as by suitable mounting inbrackets 13*s'etby' screws 30 .on the cross-rod 46. In the'form illustrated, said rolls I6, 13: are journaled on stud-bolts 8! set in slots 82 in the .arms as of the brackets 19. Shaft 84 which drives conveyor rolls 3!! is journaled at each end in a swinging bracketJS unted pivotally, as at 86, upon one of the upri t brackets 13 (Fig. 4 This shaft has a gear 81 meshing with a gear 88 on shaft 6'! by which the conveyor belt pulleys 38 speed 'oi the conveyor belts 36 and 37.

fed sectorsux-(Figs -d and 5)" are secured to the shaft '84 and cooperate with the belts 36 to grip'theedge of the envelope after it has been insertedbetween-thebelts 36 and 31; by the transfer member T. i i i The swingingbraclrets 85 have arms 39 (Fig. 4') between the free ends of which and the brackets are iven at suitable speed to cause equal linear T8 are coil-sprfngsisli mountedupon boltsQiI and maintainedhnder compression, so that the shaft 84, rolls 39 and the sectors 34:: are biased yield-- ingly toward the rolls as. The nuts a2 limiting the biasing movementin order to maintain the belts 36, 31-with atapering bite as shown clearly in Fig. 2.

' The entire system of J The springs 90 permitiyielding movement of. the} segments and insure pressure of the latter against the belts '36 irrespectixe of the: thickness of the material used;

mechanism heretofore described derive'sits actuation'through gears 93; 94

from main driving-shaft 95,journaled,inside membersIiAX of carriage 64 and driventhrough' rack, and pinion connections at 99 one at each side of the machine. The shaft- Ifor idler-69 ing theirv cooperative relationship. This; is anoutstanding. feature ofin-ovelty inthe present in vention, and when the expression;carriage;ad:-v justment. is used. that term is; employed fonthe; sake of brevityto designatethe shift not" only is Journaled in fixed position on. side bars 65 of a the frame, though itmay alsorbe journaled on including complemental levers IIII and I02.- (Fig,

4) the former fixed in adjusted. position upon a square rock shaft I03; and the, latter 1 upon a.

square rock shaft I04, both journaled in the.

carriage extensions 95: of the; carriage ends 6.4.1:,

of the carriage but of its carriedmechanism.

'The clearance pilehas been briefly described.

in its generalrelationship to other instrumentalie ties: so that: a brief, additional description. of. a preferred structure'of the parts associated withit;

will be suflicient to complete, the understanding of its position inthe apparatus.

Referring first toFig. 5,111 whichthes'e partsa are shown in plan,'and toFig- 1"inv which-some.

is shownat I20, taking the form of a table mounted upon a], portion I2I of the frame, and" over which the conveyor belt II (or belts, as the case may he), pulls the envelopes successively j into the dash-pot position E. where their leadand, arranged. inparallelism with the mairrdriving shaft 95. a

-,.'I he,lever IOI has a split socket clamp I05 mounted-on its freeend by-meansof a pivot lug I00 and, through this clamp extendsthe ,shank of the sucker tube T which. may be adjusted lengthwise in the, clamp and then secured therein by set screws lfll. By means of the lever IOI the transfer device :T is moved-bodily over the region of the transferpile P toward, and. from the bite between the belts 36, 3.1. To accomplish this-movement,the. shaft l03 is. caused to rock by-theaotion of a-disc cam. I08 on shaft95 having a -peripheral track on which bearsaroll'er I09 (Figs; 3 and..4). on an 'arm- IIO fixed to, the shaft I103 by a set screw .II I.

Tilting, movements of thetransfe'r T, producingupwardand downward movement, are caused by a link II4 which connects. lever. I02 with an arm II5 extending from clamp I05. The shaft I04, on whichlever I02 is. fitted, has an arm I I6, with a roller I'Il biased toward a cam disc III! on shaft 95 by a coiled spring'II9 under tension. Theaction of this spring is to tend to depress the tip 75 of the transfer suckerT into the position shown in Fig. 4. When a shoulder, as I20, of cam II8-is engaged with roller III, the arm H0 is actuated, turns shaft I04, draws link'I I4 and arm I I5 downward, tilts clamp ear I06 on its pivot and raises tip it. The resultant action of the two cams is, a recurrent picking up and thrusting. forward of the topgarticle at anytime on the clearance. pile P,

as will be readily understood by those skilled in the art'without further elaboration of the description at this time, which is at this-stage directed rather to details of structure than to mode of operation.

It is, however, desirable to note at point" that the carriage adjustment, accomplished by simply turning the hand wheel H in one direction or the. other, results in shifting allv of the parts mounted on the carriage withoutdisturb- V A coil spring II2 under tension biases the roller against disc I08 ingends-20' respectively are engaged. with the stops 33 and33X, eachsucceeding envelope being pulled under the next preceding envelope as already describedzwith reference to Fig. 1, from which the table has been omitted for thelsa'ke ofclearness.

Another table part is-shown in Fig. 5 at I20X,

being fixed by screws I22 to. suitable carriageparts. The margin 8 of the envelopev blank-rests upon this part of the table as it travels forward,

' tip t as may be requiredto complete the sucking connection.

The transfer member T'and its actuating-and of different lengths. This is accomplished. by shifting arms I.0I and I02 along shafts I035-andv I04 respectively; .and the table part -I20. termihates at a distance from stop 33"sufiicient topermitv the necessary sucker adjustment, this arsizes of blanks.

rangement avoiding thenecessity: of any adjust; ment of table'part I20. The table part I203: may

extend to stop 33:1: since it is not inthe path of adjustment of "sucker T or its supports.

VA tongue and groove connection I23 (Fig. 3-) between the levers IM and I02 causesthelatter to shift with the lever, IOI. After, the. sucker T has been shifted to the desired position, the levers MI and- I 02 may be secured totheir-shafts by set screws I23a and I23b.

The'part shown at I24 in Figs. 3,and-5 is an arm secured in laterally adjustable'position'by' .clamp I24a upon a cross rod'I24b, and serving to support the slide I25 which carries the swinging arm I26 for roller 32, the latter being adjustable lengthwise of member. -I so as to occupy-the correctposition (Fig. 1) relativelyto the'traili g envelope end. I0 adjacent to the pile P, the dimensions of which vary, of course, withdifferent As shown, the rollers 3 I ;are mountedon swinging arms I3I on rod", being laterally adjustable thereon to compensate for different widths of blanks,- and clamping means I2'Ij are'provided to in such adjusted secure the last-named; arms positions.

mounted in pairs, each pair in a truck I28 carried by a bolt I 23 on a bar I30 supported by a rod I32 depending from a bracket I33 on the cross bar 46, the latter being supported by the uprights I34. Each truck with its pair of rolls 42 is biased toward the conveyor 31, and the blanks carried thereon, by a coil spring I35 under compression.

It is to be noted that the rolls 40 nearest to the rolls 38, 39 are mounted to rotate in fixed position on the carriage upright 85, so that their position relatively to the rolls 38 and 39 is main tained.

These rolls 40 serve to insure a firm grip of the complemental conveyor belts 36, 31 upon each envelope blank E as it passes from the bite for the operation illustrated diagrammatically in Fig. 2 during travel along runR" where the summed seal flaps II are folded over. The folding mechanism for this purpose is illustrated as a known form of stationary bar I40 around which the flap II is folded bya cam rod I40a-mounted by an arm I39 (see Fig. 5) upon a suitable region of the frame, the connection not being completed, as such arrangements are a matter of convenience and well understood by those skilled in the art.

In the embodiment indicated schematically in Figs. 6 and 7 the envelope blanks are transferred from the conveyor run R, which is shown as traveling from right to left, to conveyorrun R' extending in alignment with the run R. In this construction the blanks I are conveyed by belt 2I' along supporting table 20I until the leading edge 2I0 of each blank engages one or more of the stops 33' mounted on the forward edge of table 20I, and the blank is arrested and aligned thereby. In the form illustrated stops 33 are of the type suitable for arresting a blank having a straight front edge 2I0 of substantial extent; but it will be understood that the apparatus may be readily adapted for use with other types of envelope blank, and it may employ other types of stops well known to those skilled in the art suitable for particular types of blanks. In certain instances such stops contact the advance edges of unfolded side flaps; it is, therefore, understood that the leading edge 2I0 of the blank is the forward edge portion engaged by stops appropriately located for the particular type iof blank.

The blanks I0 may be biased downwardly into effective engagement with belt 2| by suitable means such as presser rolls 32'. Feed belt 2| travels over idler roll 23', which advantageously may be located at a distance from stop 33 in a suitable opening in table 20I, and in register withtherear portion of an envelope blank I0 engaging such stop. Leaf spring: 202 mounted on bracket 203 for a presser roll 32' may be employed when desirable, especially with small blanks, and bears against the blanks I0 at a point between stops 33' and the end of effective engage ent of belt 2I with blanks I0. This contruc ion assures accurate registry and control of the blank during transfer as hereinafter indicated.

The advance portion of the uppermost blank I0 in engagement with stop 33' is shifted upwardly into position for engagement by the succeeding conveyor mechanism by means engaging the upper surface of the blank. In the form illustrated, this means comprises a sucker arm v T mounted for longitudinal adjustment in split clamp I fixed to rod 204 carried bythe upper end of rocker levers I02, supported on pivot [7. The pin position to peripheralsp eed so by sectors 343: will be transferred into position shaft 205. A cam rod 206 connected to the lower end of the downward extension of one lever I02 is suitably reclprocated by a, cam (not shown), and is biased by spring 201 in a direction appropriate to urge sucker arm T downwardly into blank-engaging position.

With this arrangement the clockwise movement of rocker levers I02 about pivot 205 will lift the advance end ofthe uppermost blank I0 'into position for engagement by conveyor sectors 841: mounted at either side of arm T on shaft 04' rotating ina clockwise direction. Means is provided for pressing said blank against the sectors 04x, the form illustrated including presser rolls 2I5 aligned with sectors 84m and each mounted on a shaft 2 I4 Journaled in bracket 2I6, both brackets 2I6 being carried by pivot 2" on rock lever 2l8 supportedon l ivot shaft 2I9. Lever 2| 8 is appropriately oscillated through cam rod 22I engaging its lower'end and actuated by a suitable cam (not. shown) ,being biased by spring 222 in a direction appropriate to maintairrpresser rolls 215 in retracted position. as shown in full lines in Fig. 6. Each bracket, 2IG is provided with a tail piece 223 extending beyond pivot 2H and carrying an adjusting screw 224 bearing against the hub 225 of rock lever 2 I being held, yieldably in engagement with said ub bysprging 228.

This construction maintains pressergolls 2I5 out of the path of a blank I0 during its elevation into position for engagement by sectors 341:, and then rocks rolls 2I5 into position beneath the blank (shown in dotted lines in Fig. 6) by appropriate movement of cam rod 22I, the central stop 33 being lower than the outer stop to provide clearance for rolls 2I5. In this position bracket 2I6 extends rearwardly from pivot H1 and is biased upwardly by spring220, providing appropriate yielding upward pressure when the blank is engaged bysaid sectors, the-pressure of the rollers 2I5 being adjustable by manipulating screw 224.

A suitably driven feed roller 23I is positioned to receive the leading edge 2I0 of the blank I0 advancedcb sectors 84m, and advantageously has a perip eral speed substantially the same as that of said sector. A presser roller 232 mounted on a forked bracket 233,, located between the sectors and in registry with roller 23I serves to maintain the blanks in engagement with the latter roller. Guide rails'22I extending upwardly and forwardly from stopsig' assist in'guiding the blanks between rollers 23f and 232 and thence to thefbite between acentral slotted feed roller 234 and an upper presser roller 42'. Rollers 234 and 42 serve to advance each blank into position on table 235 for synchronized pick-up by feed pins 228 on sprocket chains 229 extending around sprockets 230mounted on shaft 236 which carries the feed roller 234. Sprockets 230 and chains 229 are arranged at either side of table 235 with pins 228 traveling along the sides of the table in position to engage rearward portions of blanks projecting beyond the table, such as the side flaps of the unfolded blank illustrated in Figure and is not in proper synchronizedposition relative to the other parts.

The speed of rotation and relative position of the various driven blank-advancing parts, includingsectors 04m, ,feed rollers 23I and 234, and sprockets 230 carrying chains 235 with feed pins 223, are-synchronized and coordinated as that each blank picked up in, this figtlqegis illustrative on table 235m advance of the appropriate feed pins 228 at a rate sufficient to permit the retrac tion of presser rollers H5 and the elevation of the next blank without. interference. The provision. of the intermediate rollers 231 and 232 permits an earlier retraction of said rollers2l5 without losing control of the blank.

' operative faces of sectors 84x inthe zone between the ends of said faces. The lever 218- is rocked to bring the rollers 2l5 beneath the forward end of the-blank, whichispicked up'by the faces of sectors 84m and advanced between the rollers 23l and 232 and thence between rollers 234 and 42 to pick-up position on table 235.

The speed of these feed rollers is selected and synchronized with the operation of belt 2| and feed pins 228 to position a blank ,on table 235 somewhat in advance of said feed pins to assure proper synchronized pick-up by the pins. The

timing is also advantageously arranged so that blank lllis normally lifted from table 20l before the succeeding blank reaches a stop '33; though the construction is such that thesmooth continuous operation of the apparatus will not be seriously affected by an accumulation of blanks against a stop 33'; since only the uppermost blank is engaged by sucker T. Employment of a light and flexible leaf spring 202. serves to assure the initial elevation of only the forward part of a blank l0 by sucker arm T, the blank curving about the point of engagement by the spring, which is advantageously weak enough to rise with the blank sufflciently to permit the necessary elevation of the forward part of the blank into position for engagement by sectors 84w.

This construction avoids a possible tendency to lift the succeeding blank by suction or adhesion,

as might happen if the entire blank were-permitted to rise with sucker T, particularly where the machine is handling very small blanks.

From the foregoing. description, the operation of the machine will be clearly understood, as the sequence of steps has been explicitly set forth, and it will be suflicient to describe briefly the operations involved in effecting an illustrative adjustment in the embodiment shown in Figs. 1-5 made possible by the invention.

For example, if it be desired to operate upon a somewhat wider envelope blank, the shaft 98 will be turned clockwise (Fig. 4) by the hand wheel H (Fig. 3) to move the carriage 64 bodily to the right, carrying with it the main driving shaft 95; the shafts 61, 84, TI, I00 (when mounted on the carriage 64), H, I03, I04, and all the parts mounted on said shafts, including the transfer sucker T, its operating levers and cams, the belt pulley rolls 38, 39 and all the gears associated with said shafts; also the idler pulleys l0 and 69. In this arrangement any slack in belts 36 is taken up by the adjustment of idler pulley 10. When, however, shaft I00 is journaled on the bars. 65, slack produced by the retraction of pulley rolls 38 will be in' general taken up by the retraction of idler pulleys 10, any slight change in tension being compensated by adjustment of idler pulleys 10 by shifting arms 13 on bar 14.

I have described what I believe to be the best embodiments of my invention. I, do not wish, however, to be confined to the embodiments shown but what I desire to cover by Letters Patent is set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A transfer mechanism for planiform articles of the class described, such as envelopes, said transfer mechanism comprising a run of mech-- anism adapted to advance a continuous band of said articles along a prescribed path to a transfer station in fanned out, overlapping relation, transfer means at a transfer station operating transversely of the direction of said path to engage each article in a zone atone side of the middle of said path and pull it in a sidewise direction relative to the direction of said path, individualizing mechanism for seizing a margin of the article which is at the opposite side of the zone engaged by the transfer means from the center of the article andfor pulling the article to continue the advance initiated by the transfer means, said transfer means being timed in its operation relative to the individualizing mechanism to insure individualization of the articles.

2. A transfer mechanism for planiform articles of the class described, such as envelopes, said transfer mechanism comprising a stop located at a transfer station, a run of mechanism adapted to advance a continuous band of said articles along a prescribed path in fanned out, overlapping relation, seriatim against the stop by which registry of the leading edges of said articles is efiected, transfer means at a transfer station operating transversely of the direction of said path to engage each article in a zone at one side of the middle ofsaid path and pull it in a sidewise direction relative to the direction of said path, individualizing mechanism for seizing a margin of the article which is at the opposite side of the zone engaged by the transfer means from the center of the article and for pulling the article to continue the advance initiated by the transfer means, said transfer means being timed in its operation relative to the individualizing mechanism to insure individualization of the articles.

3. A transfer apparatus for planiformarticles such as envelope blanks, said apparatus comprising a run of mechanism adapted to advance a continuous band of said articles infanned out overlapping relation seriatim against a stop by which registering of the leadingedges of said articles is effected, the uppermost article of the pile thus formed overlying progressively succeeding advancing articles; and mechanism for removing seriatim the successively topmost article of the pile so formed, said removing mechanism including cyclically operated suction pick-up means for engaging a non-central 'zone of the upper surface of said article and pulling it part way off the pile, and individualizing means for completing the pulling of such article from the pile during the completion of a cycle of the suction pick-up means.

4. In a machine of theclass described, transfer means comprising a run of mechanism including a conveyor adapted to advance" infanned out overlapping relation a multiplicity of planiform" manner that the leading edge of. each article is I advanced to said stop beneath atleast thenext preceding article, and is maintained Qmo'men to remove the topmost of said artlclesscriatim,

complemental conveyor belts, and driving shafts with-driving gears, a-ll movable bodily with said carriage-whilepre'serving their cooperative rela- .tionship to permitvariations in the dimensions of tarily at least in registry with said stop, means and means to fold said foldable parts successively,

said means acting in such timed relation with said advancement that each of said articlesis individualized for the folding operation by,the act of transfer sidewise from said overlapped rela, tionship. I a

5. A transfer means for articles of the class described, comprising the mechanisms combined and cooperating as set forth in claim 1, and.further characterized by having said first;named run of mechanism constituted by an elevatorconveyor belt against which said fanned out articles are biased by a superimposed series qprolls, and by a complemental run conveyor "bcltrunning at a suitable rate of speed relatively to said elevator toeffect the alignment of said artiqles successively for'said transfer. l

6. An envelope making machine of the (class described comprising the mechanisms combined and cooperating asset forth in claim 1, in which the individualizing mechanism comprises a pair of complemental conveyor belts disposed upon a. pair of rolls spaced, to receive the leading edgeof'said article as it is advanced by said transfer member, means to support one of said rolls with ayielding bias toward the other rollof the pair, and adjustable means to limit said, biased ape proach of the rolls.

7. An envelope making machine of the class described comprising the mechanisms combined and cooperating as set forth in claim 1, in which the individualizingmechanism comprises a pair of complemental conveyor belts disposed upon a pair of rolls spaced to receive the leading edge of said article as it is advanced by said transfer. member, means to support one of said rolls with a yielding bias toward the other rolls of the pair, I and adjustable means to limit said biased approach of the rolls, and two series of complemental rolls, one adapted to support'the lower belt ofsaid pair in a right-line run, and'the ,other' seri'es'adapted to hold the upper conveyor belt toward thelower belt.

the blanks upon which said machine is to operate. "f 10. A "machine-or thecla-ss described, comprising a run 361 mechanisms adaptedjtoia dvancea.'

- '.band of planiformarticlesin overlapping, fanned out relation, a guide means, and a sucker trans,-

fer member adaptedto be engagedwith a corner portion of each of said articles, seriatim, and

means to raise s'a'id sucker member with each sheet and to-{shift the .same in engagement with said guideyto preserve the desired alignment of said article as it is removed directly ,from said overlapping relationship.

11. A transfer mechanism for advancing a substantially rectangular planiform article first in the direction of its length and. then in the direction of its width, said mechanism comprising a ticle widthwise over said support and along the stop so that said article during said transfer operation is, caused by inertia and by friction to,

maintain its contact with said stop and be guided thereby, due to the tendency of the article to means for inserting a support beneath each blank feeding a series of blanks, means for lifting the' blanks in'sequence from the feeding means,

in lifted position, and means engaging the upper surface of each lifted blank and c'ocperating with the support for advancing said blank.

14.' Transfer apparatus for planiform articles a such as envelope blanks, comprising means for 8. An envelope making machine of the class" described comprising the mechanismscombined and cooperating as set forth in. claim 1, in which ,/the individualizing mechanism comprises apair of complemental conveyor belts disposedupona pair of rolls spaced to receive the leading'edge of,

said article as it is advanced by said tr'ansfer member, means to support one of said rolls with a yielding bias toward the other roll of the pair, and adjustable means to limit said biased approach of the rolls, and two series of complemental rolls, one adapted to support the lower beltof said pair in a right+line run, and the other series adapted to hold the upper conveyor belt toward the lower belt; and folder gneans in juxtaposition carried by i to said beltsand adapted to fold overga part of U continuously feeding a series of said articles, means for lifting the blanks individually in sequencefrom the feed g means, a pressure roller, meansfor inserting the pressure roller beneath a lifted blany, and means cooperating with the pressure roller for advancing said blank from lifted position,

15. Transfer apparatus for planiform articles such as envelope blanks; comprising stop means, means for continuously feeding a series of said articles to the stop means, means for lifting said articles in sequence after arrest by the stop means, a pressure roller, means for shifting the roller beneath a lifted article, and means cooperating with the pressure roller for advancing the-articles from lifted position.

l'6.-Transfer apparatus for planiform articles such as envelope blanks, comprising stop means,

means for feeding an'article against the stop asses, articlejconveying means. means for upwardly shifting'an article arrested by the stop meansinto engagement with the conveying means, 'said shifting means engaging the forward part of the article adjacent the stop means,

andwupwardly' yieldable pressure means engaging said article during shifting at a point spaced rarwardly from the point of engagement of the shifting means with said article.

17. Transfer apparatus for planiiorm articles ban sto such as envelope blanks, comprising means for tion to the advancing sheets for arresting them continuously feeding aseries of said articles, stop one after another at a rest station, cyclically opmeans for arresting said articles in' sequence erated suction means acting periodically and means for lifting said articles in sequence ,after 5 with a frequency corresponding to the frequency arrest by the stop means, a feed sector engaging of the arrival of the sheets at said station to enthe upper surface of each lifted article, and a gage and lift a non-central zone of an arrested presser'roller engaging the lower surface of the sheet at said station, and individualizing means lifted article in register with the feed sector, said f s n a mar in l a a f th sheet adja nt roller and sector being arranged and operated to 10 said zone which is engaged and lifted by the sucadvance the a t in sequence 7 tion means to pull the sheet away from the rest :18. Transfer apparatus for planiform articles station and to feed it completely clear of the r t such as envelope blanks, comprising means for station during the completion of a single cycle feeding'a plurality of said articles in series, stop O he suction means. 7

means for engaging and a segment of and move .the article Clear segment to remove the article from arrested podividuahzation the articles s t on nclud ng a feed unit compms ng an upper 35 4: An individualizing transfer mechanism for feed member and a cooperating lower feed memv Plamform articles comprising, in mbination, her, the lower feed member being movable into a 11111 of mechanlsm f r dvancing a continuous and out of operat ve posmon t permit the underlapped band of such articles seriatim to a unit engaging and forwarding each article while 4 articles 'seriatim, means o e ing the lifter peadvance of each blank to alining and folding 50 anlsm to insure individualization Of the articles. mechanisms of t hi N V 25. An individualizing transfer mechanism 21. In a machine of the kind described, in comfor Planiform' l' Comprising, in combinabination, sheet feeding means for advancing a. U011, run of mechanism for advancing a 00 1-- gage and lift a non-central zone of an arrested ccupied by it in the tra fer p sition and indithe sheet away from the rest station and to feed ment, and Whlch has been displaced by. the i it completely clear of the rest station during the (U uc e to move the article clear of the next folcompletion of a single cycle of the suct1on means. wi a e Sa li Sucke operatmg means bebination, sheet feeding means for advancing with viduahzmg mechanism to insure individualiza predetermined,substantially uniform frequency tion of the articles.

ABRAHAM NOVICK. 

